‘Absolutely Unconvincing’: Courts Uphold State Bans on Transgender Procedures for Kids

Doctors Surgery

In the weeks before the Supreme Court reviews the constitutionality of Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical interventions for gender-confused minors, federal and state courts have upheld similar laws against so-called gender affirming care for children as a proper exercise of legislative power over medical practice.

It’s a worrying sign for transgender activists and allies now reconsidering their strategy in light of pending Republican control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, likely affected by the Biden administration’s imposition of gender identity over sex in federal regulations and 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris’s support for taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries for inmates.

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Pro-Life Scholars Sue After ‘Discriminatory’ Retractions by Academic Journal

Dr. James Studnicki

Pro-life scholars and Sage Publications continue to battle over retracted articles.

Dr. James Studnicki and his fellow authors sued Sage Publications to compel arbitration after the publishing company retracted three articles for allegedly “pretextual and discriminatory reasons,” according to the legal filing.

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Utah, Other Western States Ask Supreme Court to Return Millions of Acres of Land Back to the States

Uinta Mountains, Utah

A map of the U.S. showing land under federal control paints large swaths of the West. In August, Utah filed a lawsuit against the federal government, arguing that it’s unconstitutional for the feds to retain unappropriated land in a state indefinitely.

Since the lawsuit was filed, a dozen other states, including Idaho, Alaska and Wyoming, have filed briefs asking the court to hear the case. Additionally, a coalition of counties in Arizona and New Mexico, the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Utah Legislature and the Wyoming Legislature have also filed briefs in support of the lawsuit.

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Commentary: Trump Is Going to Give America a Spectacular 250th Birthday Celebration

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania, 2018

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, can help bring us together and restore our confidence in America’s future. The nation’s positive experience celebrating America’s Bicentennial in 1976 provides that model.

President-elect Donald Trump has already shared his vision to make our 250th birthday the biggest and most spectacular celebration of patriotism. He aims to “showcase the glory of every state in the Union, promote pride in our history, and put forth innovative visions for America’s future.”

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IRS May Lose $20 Billion in Funding Without Congressional Action, Treasury Officials Warn

IRS money

Treasury Department officials warn that the IRS may lose $20 billion in funding if Congress does not intervene.

Last year, $20 billion was rescinded from the IRS, but the budget cut could be inadvertently duplicated due to a legislative mechanism that keeps the government afloat, the Associated Press reported.

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GOP Reps to Grill Top Biden Officials on Natural Gas Exports Pause

Oil Drilling

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is bringing in top Biden administration energy officials for a Dec. 4 hearing on the administration’s decision to pause approvals for certain new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities.

Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas, will be hosting the hearing, to which senior Department of Energy (DOE) official Brad Crabtree and top Biden climate adviser John Podesta have been invited. The hearing will be a continuation of oversight into one of the Biden administration’s most aggressive policy moves against conventional energy, and the lawmakers intend to inquire about allegations that the DOE effectively buried a 2023 draft study that would have undermined the justification for the pause before officially announcing the freeze in January 2024.

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Trump Will Redirect Billions in Unspent Funds from Biden’s Climate Law to ‘Real Infrastructure’

Construction Plans

President-elect Donald Trump is planning to redirect unspent Inflation Reduction Act funding to spending on infrastructure, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

“President Trump will rapidly defeat inflation and bring down all prices by ending the Democrats’ anti-energy crusade, which will cut energy prices in half during his first 12 months in office,” Karoline Leavitt, Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman, told the DCNF in a written statement. “He will also terminate the Green New Scam and rescind all unspent funds from the so-called ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ and redirect them to spending on real infrastructure.”

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